When God was creating heaven and earth, was Jesus with him?

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” If you have a way of seeing the original Hebrew/Greek language of the Bible, such as a Strong’s Concordance, you will see that the Hebrew for God here is ‘elohiym’. This is a word meaning God, but in a plural sense. That truth is born out in verses such as Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” with the Lord referring to Himself as ‘us’ how do we understand this?

Let’s go to the New Testament. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Verse 14 goes on to say that “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” It’s obvious that these verses are speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh. 1 Timothy 3:16 speaks of this by saying, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” We learn then, that the Lord Jesus is God, and that He was with God in the beginning. This ‘beginning’ here actually predates the ‘beginning’ of Genesis 1:1. Genesis refers to the beginning of the earth. John refers to the point when anything was created. This would include the creation of Heaven and of all the angels.

This should make it clear to us that the Lord Jesus was with God at the beginning and certainly at the beginning of God’s creation of the world. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” So, not only was the Lord Jesus with God, He actually did the creating!

We learned from the outset that the word ‘elohiym’ is translated as God in Genesis 1:1. We saw that this is a plural word, meaning God in a plural sense. We see from John 1:1 that the Lord Jesus was with God in the beginning. Now let’s read Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” This verse speaks of the ‘Spirit of God’. Although the word ‘Trinity’ is not found in the Bible, it is certainly a truth that is taught throughout the Bible. This ‘Trinity’ is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In Proverbs, chapter 8, we learn about wisdom. As we read this chapter, we see clearly that it is speaking of the Lord Jesus personified in the word ‘wisdom’. Let’s read Proverbs 8:22-30, “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: THEN I WAS BY HIM, AS ONE BROUGHT UP WITH HIM: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.” What a precious portion! This shows us how that the Lord Jesus was ‘with God’ in the beginning.

Before we close let’s also consider verse 31 of this chapter, “Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; AND MY DELIGHTS WERE WITH THE SONS OF MEN. While the Lord Jesus was His Father’s ‘daily delight’, He found His delights in the sons of men. Amazing! Out of all of the vastness of God’s creation, His pleasure was found in US. Although mankind has fallen into sin, we are God’s masterpiece and His love for us is beyond measure. Romans 5:8 shows us that, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Wonderful love to those who do not deserve it. (207.2)